In the field of retail display, display assemblies are typically mounted on a vertical support structure representing merchandise to the customer. The vertical structure is typically a pegboard, cross bars, slat wall support, or wire grid support. Display hooks attach to the vertical support typically by attachment of a back portion to the vertical structure. The use of display hooks in retail displays requires careful consideration of the effect the display has on consumers. For example, many display hooks are angled upward causing products on the hook to slide to the back of a product arm. When a product remains at a back of a product arm the product may not be seen by consumers, resulting in lower sales. Furthermore, consumers may assume that a store is not well stocked if product remains at the rear of a product arm of a display hook. The display can therefore appear empty and not presentable because of the configuration and design of a display hook.
The appearance of displays results in retailers spending man-hours to pull products to the front of a product arm. In the retail business, the action of pulling products forward is called “facing” a product. Display hooks that are “gravity fed” assist retailers in facing the product on display hooks by providing a downward angle so that products displayed on the hooks slide toward the front of the hook. However, gravity-fed display hooks typically require an angle sufficient to cause sliding of products. This angulation causes retailers to lose valuable retail space for displaying products. For example, angling a product arm downward 30-45 degrees for gravitational slide, can cause a retailer to lose nearly half a foot of display area as compared to non-gravity fed display hooks. As a result, gravity-fed hooks are unpopular with retailers.
Similar problems with display hooks are present with spring-loaded display hooks. In particular, spring-loaded display hooks require a product-specific spring such that spring tensions are not too strong or too light. Product-specific springs are expensive to produce and the likelihood of re-use is small due to the narrow range of product weights appropriate for each spring. Moreover, heavier products are incompatible with such spring-loaded systems due to the danger related to strong springs in a retail setting. Accordingly, there exists a need to provide a display assembly and more particularly, a display hook that overcomes these difficulties.